Oil burner



Apr. 10, 1923.

W. B. KERRICK OIL BURNER Filed Mar. 26, 1921 Jtzornez W w w m 10carbons;

Patented A t. 10, 1923.

UNlT-ED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

- WALTER n. xnnnrcx, or Los ANGELES, chmronnm, ASSIGNOR T0 xnnmox STEAMMOTORS COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, 'A CORPORATION OF CALI- NFORM 01:. BURNER.

Application filed March 26, 1921 Serial m. 455,9ao.

To all whom! it may concern." 4

Be it known that I, WALTER BLKERRICK, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and Stateof C'alifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oil,Burners, of which the following is a specification.

. This invention relates to hydro-carbon burner and to a method ofburning hydroand particularly pertains to a burner of the type in whichhydro-carbon fuels arezvaporized in a generator by the heat of theburner and ejected from a nozzle into the mixing chamber of the burnerto induce a flow of primary air to enter and mix with thevaporized fuel.

An object of this invention isto provide a method and apparatus foreifecting combustion ofhydro-carbon fuel by which such thoroughatomization of the fuel and its intermixturewith air may be effected asto permit throttling ldown to produce a low flame with a minimum dangerof back-firing or extinguishing of theflame, and which is tion of steamin steam driven auto vehicles j to enable the operatorto control thesteam generation by regulation of the fuel feed. Another object is torovide a means and method for burning hydrocarbon fuels,particularlythose of the heavier variety, whereby the fuel may bevaporized, mixed with alr and delivered to a burner in'two separatevolumes of vapors and air of difierent zone.

A further object is to provide a hydrocarbon burner for efi'ecting thepreceding object which is so constructed as to afford means ofadjustment to vary therelative densities of two volumes of vapors andair 1 to meet different conditions.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

4b The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure :1 1s a plan view] of a burner.

adapted to carry out the, purposes of the invention. 1 u

Figure 2 is a view in section as seen on the line 22 of Figure 1.

- cal baflle especially applicable for use in the genera-' densities vor proportions of mixture, and thoroughly intermixed in the combust onFigure 3 is'a bottom plan view of a c'onig by which a swirling motion isimparted to the rich mixture.

Figure 4: is an enlarged view in section as seen on the line 4-4 ofFigure 2.

More specifically, 6 indicates a cylindri cal burner body preferably ofcast metal and formed with an outer circularwall 7 I 1 of suitableheight, and an inner circular wall -8 disposedec'centric to the outerwall.

The inner and outer'walls are joined by .a

top wall 9 and a bottom walllO, which construction provides an enclosedspace 11 within the burnerbody, the area of the space decreasingrearwardly around the burner. The inner circular wall surrounds anopening 12 which allows atmospheric air to flow to the burner. of thetop wall 9 is formed with an'inclined face 13 and the wall below thisface 1s formed of increased thickness'and is provided' with a plurality-of equally spaced holes 14 communicating-with the space 11 to provideburner'orificesfor the escape of the mixture from the space 11, whichmix- The inner margin ture is designed toburn immediately above theseorifices to form a plurality of flamejets around the burner. The-holes14 follow an inclined spiral path throughout their length and are ofsuflicient length to give a definite direction of flow to the mixture,causing the" entire mixture emanating from the space 11 to take on aswirling-motion and be directed upwardly. and inwardly over theispace12.

The burner is'provided with a'horizon -i tally disposed intake tube 15communicating with. the space 11, and flaring outwardly,

from the burner body to terminate at its outerend in a mouth 16. Theintake tube provides a mixing chamber 17 for the admixture of vapors andair and'is hereinafter referred-to as the lean mixture chamber. A fuelor vapor ejecting nozzle 18"is provided and ,positioned immediatelyforward of the mouth of the lean mixture chamber and is disposed directlin alignment withv the center thereof to in uce an equal flow of airinto the mou'th of the chem berat all points around the margin thereofin a manner common to Bunsen burners.

The wall 61s formed with-an opening 19 Jfacing theintalre tube 15 on aline with the L gages the flange 21 and the other end portion of whichis turned upwardly and tercenter of the latter; annular flanges and 21being formed on the opposite sides of the wall 6 on the margin of theopening '19. Mounted in the opening 19 is a tubular conduit 22 whichextends into the intake tube centrally thereof and terminates within thetube in spaced relation to its outer end and to the nozzle 18; the outerend of the conduit being flared as indicated at 23 to facilitateentrance into the conduit of a portion of the vapors discharged from thenozzle. v

The conduit 22 is adjustable longitudinally in the opening 19, so thatthe outer end of the conduit may be spaced any suitable distance fromthe nozzle to meet varying conditions. Arranged in the space 12 is adischarge tube 24, one end of which enminates approximately on a planewith the burner openings 14. The conduit 22 and tube 24 constitute'apassage for the heavier mixture of vapors and air whereby this mixturewill be discharged centrally of the air space 12 through a singleorifice 25 from which a rich mixture flows when the burner is inoperation.

As a means for'imparting a swirling motion to the rich mixture flowingthrough the orifice a conical bafiie 26 of larger diameter than theorifice isdisposed over the orifice. The bafile is provided on its undersurface witha plurality of radially disposed curved vanes 27, againstwhich the mixture impinges to be thrown oif with a swirling motion,preferably in a spiral path similar to that of, and in the samedirection as, the lean mixture flowing from the burner orifices 14 Thebaflle 26 is mounted on a stem 27 which passes downwardly in the tube 24and is threaded for vertical adjustment through a boss 28 formed on thetube, which construction permits the baflle being disposed in anydesired spaced relation to the end of the discharge tube.

Surrounding the burner body is a casing 29 of a diameter greater thanthat of the burner body to form a passage 30 around the burner bodythrough which warm air may pass downwardly and be delivered from a pointadj acent the flames to the lower portion of the opening 12. Theupperpor tion of the casing 29 extends adjacent the top of the burnerand the lower portion of the casing extends beneath the burner formmg awall 31 which is provided with air inlet openings 32 adapted to beregulated by a damper 33.

heburner may beemployed for the combustion of gas in a fixed state, butis here shown as articularly adapted for burning liquid by ro-carbonsand for this purpose is provided with a generator tube 34= disposedover. the center of the burner and communicating with a source ofhydro-carbon, not shown. The generator is here shown as comprising asingle tube 35 which is fitted with an elbow 36 and connected to thenozzle.

The operation of the burner is as follows:

The heat of the flame, generates a vapor from liquid fuel contained inthe generator, and the vapor formed which is subj cut to the pressure ofthe fuel source is ejected thereby at high velocity from the nozzle intothe mouthof the lean mixture chamber. The flow of vapor induces a flowof air through the mouth in a manner common to Bunsen burners and thevapor and air commingle within the lean mixture chamber to form a leancombustible mixture which flows through the space 11 and through theburner orifices with a swirling motion to maintain a series of flamejets around the burner. In asmuch as the nozzle is positioned inalignment with the mouth of the rich mixture passage, the denser portionof the vapor which tends to become confined to the center of thepassages, due to its inertia, does not tend to commingle readily withthe air and flows directly into the rich mixture passage. From there therich mixture flows through the orifice and is delivered with a swirlingmotion to the area encompassed by the circular series of flame jets,which tend to retain the rich mixture within this area until it iscompletely consumed. When the supply of vapor is reduced practically allthe vapor flows into the mouth of the rich mixture passage inducing aquantity of air with it so that the rich mixture passage and its orificeserves as a small. capacity burner and the supply of fuel may be reducedto a low degree without possibility of the flame flashing back orbecoming extinguished.

The temperature of the flame and the capacity of the burner may beregulated by the shutter valve which varies; the amount of atmosphericsecondary air coming to the flame. The adjustable member of the richmixture passage permits of regulating the relative amount of vaporentering the rich mixture passage. y i

It will be observed that the burner shown and described not only tendsto prevent the escape of unburned fuel by causing the rich mixture toflow into an area surrounded by the burning lean mixture, but alsoserves to provide 'extremeflexibility and permits of reducing the amountof fuel consumed to a degree only sufiicient to maintain steam pressurein a boiler of an automotlve vehicle .when no. steam is being drawn fromthe boiler.

From the foregoing it will seen that "I have provided a means and methodwhere by-a heavy'rich mixture of vapors and air will be delivered to thecentral portion of the burner and discharged outwardly into a series ofjets of a thin mixture of vapors other end in an orifice disposedcentrally in v with a plurality of burner orifices, a rich and air and avolume of air fed to the zone of intermixture of these mixtures toinsure complete combustion of the hydrocarbon.-

Iclaim: I, 1. In a burner, a burner body provided mixture passagecommunicating with some of sald orifices, a lean mixture passagecommunicat ng with other of said orifices, and

a nozzle adapted to deliver vaporized fuel with an induced flow of airjointly to said passages whereby a rich mixture of the vaporized fueland air enters the rich mixture passage and a lean mixture'of thevaporized fuel and air enters the lean mixture passage. j

2. In a burner, a burner body provided with a plurality of burnerorifices, a tube connecting with some of the orifices, another tube ofsmaller diameter disposed Within the first tube and communicating withother of the orifices, each of said tubes formed with a mouth-open tothe atmosphere and concentric with each other, and a nozzle disposedopposite the concentric mouths to deliver fuel to each.

3. In a burner, a burner body provided witha plurality of burnerorifices, a rich mixture passage communicating with someture passage anda portion of the vaporized.

fuel enters the lean mixture passage and induces a flow of airtherewith, and means for imparting a swirling motion to a mixtureissuing from all of said orifices.

4:- In a burner, a burner body provided with a plurality of burnerorifices, a tube connecting with some of the orifices, another tube ofsmaller diameter disposed within the first tube and communicating withother of the orifices, each of said tubes formed with a mouth open tothe atmosphere and concentric with each other, a nozzle disposedopposite the concentric mouths to deliver fuel to each, .and means onsaid burner body for imparting a swirling motion to a mixture issuingfrom all the orifies.

5. Ina burner, a burner body having a plurality of burner orifices andformed with an openingdisposed in the center of said body, a tubecommunicating with said orifices adapted to conduct a mixture of.va--porized fuel and air to said orifices and formed with a mouthcommunicating with p the atmosphere, another tube disposed within saidfirst named tube formed with a mouth communicating with the interior ofthe first named tube and terminating at its said opening, and' anozzleadapted to eject fuel into the mouth of said first named tube.

6. In a burner, a burner body having a plurality of burner orifices andformed with an openin disposed in the center of said body, a tu ecommunicating with said oriin an orifice disposed centrally in saidopen- I ing, a nozzle adapted to eject vaporized fuel into the mouth ofsaid first named tube, and adjustable means disposed over the last namedorifice to impart a swirling motion .to mixture issuing therefrom.

7. In a burner, a burner body havinga plurality of burner orifices andformed with an opening disposed in the center of said body, a tubecommunicating with said orifices adapted to conduct a mixture ofvaporized fuel and air to said orifices and formed with a mouthcommunicating with the atmosphere, another tube disposed within saidfirst named tube formed with a mouth communicating with the interior ofthe first named'tube and-terminating at its other end in an orificedisposed centrally in said opening,a nozzle adapted to eject vaporizedfuel into. the mouth of said first named tube, adjustable means disposedover the last named orifice to impart a swirling motion to a mixtureissuing therefrom, and

a vapor generator disposed over said burner body and communicating withsaid nozzle.

8. In a burner, a burner body having a plurality of burner orifices andformed with an opening disposed in the center of said body, a tubecommunicating with said orifices adapted to conduct a mixture of vaporized fuel and air to" said orifices and formed with a mouthcommunicating with the atmosphere, another tube disposed within saidfirst named tube formed with a mouth communicating with the interior ofth'e'first named tube and terminating at its other end in an orificedisposed centrally in said opening, a nozzle adapted to eject fuel intothe mouth of said first named tube, and a casing surrounding said burnerbody and adapted to convey heated air to the lower end of the opening insaid burner body.

9. In a burner, a burner body having a plurality of burner orifices andformed with an opening disposed in the center of said body, a tubecommunicating with said orifices adapted .to conduct a mixture orvaporized fuel and air to said orifices and formed with a mouthcommunicating with the atmosphere, another tube disposed within saidfirst named tube formed with a mouth communicating with the interior ofthe first named tube and terminating at its other end in an orificedisposed centrally in said opening, a nozzle adapted to eject vaporizedfuel into the mouth of said first named tube, adjustable means disposedover the last named orifice to impart a swirling motion to mixtureissuing therefrom, and a 10 casing surrounding said burner body andadapted to convey heated air to the lower end of the opening in saidburner body.

10. The method of combusting hydrocarbon fuel consisting in ejecting arich mixture of vaporized fuel and air into a relativel thin mixture ofvaporized fuel and air, imparting a swirling motion to the two mixturesin a combustion zone, and igniting the commingled mixtures.

WALTER B. KERRIOK.

